a rise, was designed by Robert Stephenson, Engineer-in-Chief of the York & Newcastle Railway and son of George Stephenson (Although some sources credit G T Andrews). This bridge was almost unique in that it was a railway-owned bridge carrying a road over a river. It was taken over by the Town Council about 1920 but still retains its North Eastern Railway bridge plates – No 8. This bridge is now known as Mercury Bridge in honour of the close association between the town and the Royal Corps of Signals. The main station building, the work of the architect George Townsend Andrews of York, was specifically designed for Richmond to blend in with the buildings and character of this historic market town. The wide two-ridge train shed covered a platform line and two sidings. The original platform was both low and short, extending only a short distance outside the train shed. This was subsequently lengthened in 1860 and the front edge raised resulting in a downward slope towards the floor level of the offices, which survived until the recent renovations. The platform was further lengthened in 1915 to cope with the increased military traffic from the newly established Catterick Camp, and in its final form was long. The train shed was open at the south end and lit by gas: electricity was not provided until after the Second World War. The station building included: Booking office General waiting room (later the enlarged parcels office) Ladies waiting room Refreshment room (later the waiting room) Parcels office (later enlarged) Stationmaster's office Porter's room Toilets. Later, a wooden ticket-collector's booth was provided next to the main entrance and in the 20th century there was a small wooden bookstall operated by W H Smith, which closed in 1940. The York & Newcastle Railway survived for a further seven years after the opening of the line, becoming part of the North Eastern Railway in 1854. The NER era lasted for nearly seventy years until 1923 when it became part of the London & North Eastern Railway under the Grouping of railways following the First World War. The LNER itself lasted twenty-five years until the railways were nationalized in 1948 when Richmond became part of the North Eastern Region of British Railways. Few substantial alterations were made to the station building over the years. As mentioned, the platform was lengthened in 1860, again in 1892, and for